More in need of miracles than ever, the devoted fans of Espanyol have not entrusted their new apostle, Luis GarcÃa. A coach who will make his debut in the middle of Easter to try to resurrect a team crucified during the Diego MartÃnez era. On paper, the white-and-blue entity has achieved what it intended, to revive the fervor between the fans and the players to try to get out of the relegation places it now occupies.
Since the Third Division, Luis GarcÃa has transformed in a few days into a spiritual guide. For some time he was considered by the parakeet hobby as the perfect son-in-law. A man of the house that everyone knows for having honored this shirt for seven years at the beginning of the century. Someone you can trust, who has always defended the organization and with whom it is easy to identify. And even stimulating. With his direct message and without philosophical opulences, he has humanized the club and the team at a very delicate moment. And even if the move was a bit reckless on the part of the property, it also showed courage to bet on an inexperienced man in the elite.
The first intended effect has been achieved in just a few hours. The skepticism that prevailed in the environment with Diego MartÃnez has been transformed into hope. Make it clear that you don’t live by longings in football, and against Athletic, who have just lost against Osasuna in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, they will begin to be judged by their present and not by their past.
In its first training, open to the public, a little more than 1,000 people gathered. It is not the first time this season that the fans have shown muscle to accompany their team. Some fans expressed an idea that speaks of what the Asturian means: if he has to descend, let it be with Luis GarcÃa, who will feel it as his own. Against Athletic, one of the best tickets of the season is expected, given that the fans have already bought more than 5,000 tickets.
The Asturian trainer has barely had time to implement his style book, although he has already made the master lines clear. He is looking for a team with personality, a protagonist and that shows that it is he who needs the points, and not the rival. “We are the ones who play it and we have to make it noticeable from the first minute”, he said in a press conference. He also admitted that he had barely had time and that little more than “brushstrokes” of his proposal will be seen. Be that as it may, he emphasized the intention “to be able to put the opponent in the opposite field”.
Athletic seem like the ideal opponent, as the white-and-blues have played 23 home league matches against the lions without losing, the best streak in force against any team in the First Division. It is at home where GarcÃa’s team has the most room for improvement, the worst home team in the League after 13 games, with only 13 points added up.
